Improved machine for charging gas-retorts



.been practised.

sind @titille l N. ofJ. 'risoALE;,or-"Nawv ORLEANS, LoUrsrANA.

Letters Patent No'.Y 94,045, dated August 24, 1869.-

IMPRQYED moms: FOR

'CHARGING GAs-REToRTs. y

The Schedule referredto these Letters Patentend making part of theusame.I

To all whom 'it may concern:

Beit known that I, N. O. J. TrsDALE, of the city of New Orleans, Stateof Louisiana,'haveinvented a certain new and useful and improved Machinefor Putting into Gas-Retorts the 1li-oper Charge of lCoal-to beCarbonized; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the same,L reference being had to the annexeddrawing, making a part of this specification, on Whichl Figure l is aperspective, and

Figure 2, a sectional view of said machine. l

My invention is a mechanical organism,- through the agency of whichgas-retorts can be more expeditiously and properly charged with coal,and with less labor and cost than by any method hitherto known orpractised. 1 Y

This organism consists of anelongated shallow open box, in which isadjusted .arruovable and reversible web orlink-bo'tton'cr apron,and'properfmea'ns for operating 'the saine, that is sustained in aguide-way or' sheath, in such manner as to have a reciprocating endwisemotion, corresponding in its extent with the length of the retort, thesaid guide-way beingl supported on a proper frame or carriage on wheels,resting on a railway, so as to be movable, and vtherefore readilysusceptible of being taken "from one bench of retorts tu another', andinto the coal-store.

In other words, my invention isa machine which charges gas-retoitswithout further hand-labor than is requisite to place the coal in it,and then to cause the same to be discharged in the retort, the operationbeing effected with great economy of time and labor, as compared withany other mode that has hitherto But my invention will be more quicklyunderstood, both in respect of its mechanical construction and its modeof operation, by referring to the drawing, on which the same lettersdenote like parts at both the gunes.

In the drawingl A represents an ordinary-gas-retort, as constructed inthis country, in a detached state, the object of its delineation beingto illustrate the manner in which my machine enters thc saine whenloaded; and

B, what I denominate'a guide-way, whose function it is to sustain theelongated shallow open box O, which, for purposes of distinction, Icalla charger, e and also suitable mechanical appliances or means foroperating the said charger and its reversible bottom D, which consistsof a series of narrow strips, as shown, that are hinged together, linany usual manner and by any proper means, so as that the said bottommaybe readilyilcxiblc--a necessary condition, as will hcrcaitcr beshown, to the successful working of r'nyinvention.

`very near tlrelower edges of Y The guide -iway B is 'fixed ona-railway-carriage, moving through the retort-house upon a railway laidalong the front of the fire-,stack in'which the retorts areV set, insuch manner as to bring the proximate extremity of the same very nca-rly inv contact-withy thefront of the mouth-piece of the retort.

On the carriage may be placed one or any number' of my machines,'accordingly as the number of -rctor-ts in a benchmay vary, which. areto be adjusted on the same at such heights and. in such positions that.each charger, resting in its rguidc\vay,.will have its bottom justsuiliciently above the l'evel -of thebottonr ofthe retort which is to becharged by it to enter said retort whenever' the carriage is placed inposition before the bench to charge the'retorts therein. So worked insetsof three orrive machines on one carriage, they can all be driveninto `'the retorts, rand withdrawn therefrom, by a single motionf and ata single operation, ysimultaneously delivering their'seVCra-lcharges,-LA

smootlrly. and accurately, and at any desired rateot' speed. Y

As I donot claim the carriage, nor, in this application, anyv particularmeans for operating a number of my machines, I have not considered itnecessary to show said` carriage, nor any such means, ou the drawrng.

The guide-way B consists of two vertical sides b b', that are heldtogether, and at a proper distance apart, according to the width of thcretorts, by transverse screw-bolts c, that all occupy the samehorizontal line, the sides b b', as shown on the drawing.

J .ust above the line of the bolts c, a ratchet, or toothed bar, d, issecured upon. the interior surfaces of each ofthe sides b b', as shown;and just above this bara projecting slide or rail, e, to subserve apur-` pose hereafter to be indicated.

The ratchet-bar d, and the rail c above it, are parallel to each other,and both occupy horizontal planes or lines.

On top of each ofthe sides b b is another' rail, g y,

Nor do the rails q y extend the whole length of the guide-way B. Theyterminate near the inner' ends of the guideway, by which I mean the endsnext the retort, so as to provide `an opening, i, upon each side ot saidguide-way, for a purpose to be indicated when I come to describe theoperationof the machine.

by means of the cog-wheels Z, and winds up the chain o. This draws thebottom D over the pulley at 4, and thus reverses the same, and depositsthe coal in the rctorts, in even and regular measure, as fast as thecharger moves out of them.

Inl the reversal of the bottom D, as above described, it is drawnbetween the bar e and the projecting flanchcs at the bottom edges of.the sides.2 of the.

charger, which latter lsupport it ou its 'longitudinal edges, and thusprevent it from sagging or falling down below the bottom of the charger.

The length of the ratchet-bar l is calculated with reference to theextent to which the bottom is to be reversed, so that the pulley Fpasses beyond these bars at the instant the charge is delivered.

Po-prevent the bottom D passing entirely ofi its upper plane, thecatches 5 are so placed as to take. against the bracket k the moment thecharge has been delivered and the ends of the ratchet-bars have beenpassed by the pulley F. Arriving at the inclined bars h, the pulley Fascends the same, the light-traps g g interposing no appreciableresistance until the rollers p once more rest upon the rails g, thetraps falling back into their places as Vsoon as the said rollersadvance sufficiently beyond the openings to allow them to doso.

The pawls on are now disengaged from their racks,

F, and then the bottom D is pulled by hand, by means ofthe bracket k,back to itsA original position, and the machine is ready for anotheroperation, and so on indefinitely.. Y

Having thus described my invention,

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The guide-wayB, when constructed substantially as herein described,for the purpose set forth.v

2. The charger G, when provided with the reversible bottom or apron1)and constructed and operating substantially as and for thegpurpose setforth.

3. The combination of the guide-way B and thel charger C, when theseparts are constructed, arranged, and conjointly operate substantially asdescribed, for the purpose set forth.

X. O. J. TISDALE.

Witnesses RUFUS It. RHODES, H. N. JENKINS.

in order to allow of a reverse revolution of the pulley

